strength training

katarina005

I do the machines but kind of randomly. Mostly I like the life fitness freemotion machines, b/c the incorporate compound movements and therefore work more areas. I don't bench or do the free weights. I think I don't do enough weights since its not every day and when I do I'm working different body parts in that session ( leg press, crunches, pull up) and therefore not consistently targeting the muscles for that area.

When I do train should I do all the machines in the gym that target that area. Also, do I need to exhaust the muscle each time. I don't want to gain mass, ju

harmar21

Why don't you want to gain mass?
I highly suggest looking up a program. I been doing strong lifts which seems like a fantastic beginner program, with the benefit of it only taking 45 minutes in the gym.

MKEgal

Work all your muscles at least twice a week, with at least 1 day in between.

Here's a post I did about the basics of exercise. In part, it says:

No matter which you're doing [machines or free weights], you need to know the maximum amount you can lift, called the one-repetition maximum or 1RM.

For building muscle, you want to do 1 or 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions of a weight that's 70-85% of your 1RM.
For building endurance, do 1 or 2 sets of 15-20 repetitions of a weight that's 50-65% of your 1RM.

Either way, start low on both weight & reps and work up.
You should just be able to do the last 2-3 reps.
When it gets easy to do the maximum # of reps, add 5 pounds and go back to the minimum # of reps.

(From the American College of Sports Medicine's book "Resources for the Personal Trainer, 4th edition".)

Remember to work both sides of a joint (or the body) - if you're doing bicep curls, also do tricep extensions or dips. If you're doing quadricep extensions, also do hamstring curls. If you're doing abdominal curls, also do lower back extensions.

And gaining muscle mass is a good thing. If you're a normal, natural woman with normal hormone levels you won't bulk up. In fact, it's hard for women to gain muscle mass. You can get stronger, and you can add some mass, but it takes work and nutrition.

Here's a helpful resource to learn about exercises, by muscle targeted:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

dave4d

Gaining muscle mass is very hard to do, even at a caloric surplus. It is nearly impossible to do at a caloric deficit.

Muscles need time to recover. The more you exhaust them, the longer they take to recover. Give yourself at least one day of recovery for your muscles. If you want to lift everyday, rotate either push/pull lifts, or Upper/Lower body work. Compound moves with free weights will give you the best results with least amount of time spent, but you can still get decent results with machines and isolation work.

katarina005

I didn't want to bulk up because I already am strong and just want to be lean. I would like to condition the muscles I have, not increase mass. I have a strong bone structure so don't want to look more big I guess

esjones12

If you are just looking to keep your strength and muscles moving....you can really do whatever you want. Trust me, you are not going to bulk up by accident. Look up some basic plans online for muscle maintenance/endurance.

Gaining muscle mass requires a ton of dedication and attention to diet, workouts, rest, etc. It's really hard work.

Also, becoming "lean" is done in the kitchen. You need to reduce body fat % in order to see more muscles.